The Oscar season is going on, and trophies are being handed out left and right. Deserving artists are getting the recognition they worked so hard for. Celebrated filmmakers, actors, and technicians are getting their due. All in all, things are pretty exciting at the moment, and cinema fans are getting a lot of excitement from it. But one cannot help but wonder if it’s about time video games started getting recognized by the Academy too.
Over the years, video games have grown from being a source of mindless entertainment to something much more immersive and meaningful. With this evolution, performances from lead actors have become a central part of these games. And over the years, there have been performances by actors that could have easily won the best actor award at the Oscars.
Steven Ogg played Trevor Philips in GTA 5
Playing an unhinged character is like a masterclass on its own. From Joker in The Dark Knight to Joker in The Joker, playing an unhinged character has brought good news for actors everywhere.
And it worked for Steven Ogg too; while GTA 5 is full to the brim with excellent performances, Trevor Philips was a winner through and through. It’s evident that Steven Ogg gave this character everything that he had. And at the end, Trevor Philips ended up being the most memorable character in the game.
Benjamin Byron Davis played Dutch Van der Linde in Red Death Redemption 2
While unhinged characters would always be at the top of every good actor’s bucket list, there are some characters that have real depth. Dutch is one such character; he cares for his gang and wants to see them safe. He wants them to have a life without worry; he wants to take them to Tahiti.
As that dream starts turning into shambles, the character’s mind goes with it. This character is no doubt one of the most complex characters in gaming. He goes from good to bad to good, always struggling with decisions he has already made. And excellent performance indeed.
Melina Juergens played Senua in Hellblade
Ninja Theory definitely knows how to make exciting video games. They have made a bunch after all. What blew everyone away was the fact that they gave fans an incredible new story with Hellblade, a story that also taught gamers how it felt to have psychosis. Talking to yourself, having to brush off those unsavory thoughts to focus on something else.
All this Melina Juergens does with a grace never seen before. And she no doubt deserved an Oscar for her performance; in fact, she received the Best Performer Award at the British Academy (BAFTA), so that’s a start.
Troy Baker played The Joker in Batman: Arkham Origins
Mark Hamill has played the Joker so many times that gamers now think he is the Joker. It is natural for fans to expect every new non-live-action iteration of the Joker to be voiced by him. But Troy Baker changed that with his portrayal of the Joker in Arkham Origins.
It was an okay game—nothing when compared to its mainline cousins—yet the Joker in that game made it stand out. A well-played character that sent shivers down the spines of gamers down to their core. While Troy Baker was recognized for it, an Oscar would have sealed the deal.
Nolan North played David in The Last of Us
Once again, The Last of Us is a game full of excellent performances, incredible music, and some excellent scenes that are hard to forget. If its story was a little better, it would have been a complete package. Still, the performance that was unforgettable in this game was not by Joel or Ellie. Yes, people remember them, but mostly because they are at the center of the story, David was the character that became unforgettable.
A person approaches Ellie and extends his helping hand, then goes ahead and slowly grows into the monster that he is revealed to be. By the end of his time, he becomes so scary that when Ellie kills him in that gruesome scene, it just feels satisfying. And Nolan North gave such a believable performance there that it’s hard to forget him to this day. It was so to the point that even the HBO series could not match it.
Michale Mando played Vaas in Far Cry 3 and 6
When Ubisoft decided to reveal Far Cry 3 to its fans, they decided to show the sprawling open world. They also showcased those fast combat and stealth mechanics, but mostly their focus was Vaas. Even though he was not the main villain of the game, players were instantly scared of him. He was an unhinged, creepy pirate who was not scared of killing people. He even knew the definition of insanity, which means he had some kind of self-awareness too.
People would not believe it, but only one man came up with all this—the actor Michael Mando himself. Yes, long before he became Nacho, Michael Mando was kicking it out of court as Vaas, and he never got any awards for it.
It is about time Video Games got their due at the Oscars
All these excellent performances went without getting noticed just because the Academy does not recognize video games as an art form. Nowadays, actors are putting a lot of work into their performances when working on video games. They wear those motion capture suites, and they even change themselves physically to assure their respective characters are up to the point.
On the other hand, directors, music composers, creative directors, and multiple writers work tirelessly to bring these worlds and these characters to life. Yes, they sell well, and all of these people get paid well enough. But how encouraging would it be if they found out that one of the most prestigious academies in the world is recognizing their efforts? Maybe then publishers would stop moving away from story-based experiences in favor of online live service titles.
